Velodrome

I took a beginning class at the Encino Velodrome today. There were about a dozen of us and it was a really great group of varying levels. We started cruising around the track slowly, getting used to the fixed gear and lack of brakes. Also fun is riding on steep banked turns.

By the end of the class, the instructor was timing us in individual runs and we raced against one other person in a pursuit. I was really happy with my time, and came in 3rd in the group, but by the pursuit I had nothing left and lost by a good margin. The pursuit is when you have 2 people, starting at opposite sides of the track, so the only way you know if you are winning is to look across the track at the line.

The thing I really love about the track, is there are no cars and no traffic signals. I may end up buying a track bike. They are different from road bikes in that they have no brakes, one gear, you can't coast and the cranks (what the pedals attach to) are smaller so you don't scrape along the banks.

Funny thing happened. A guy showed up and asked the instructor about joining the class next time. He gave his card to the coach, and turned out to be a porn star. Yes, it's what the valley is famous for!